Camping and woodcraft - Scoutmastercg.com

132 CAMPING AND WOODCRAFTthis animal is extraordinarily close and thick, andeach hair is hollow, like a quill, and contains air(this is true of the whole deer family). Cariboupelts are in their prime when in the summer coat,in August and early September. After this the hairbecomes too long and brittle. Skins of young animalsshould be used, being lighter than those of oldones, although almost as warm, and their hair isless liable to come out under conditions of dampness.They weigh about the same per square foot asraccoonor goat-skms (4^ to 5 ounces, as comparedwith 63^ for wolf and 7 for black bear, on theaverage). A bag made from such skins will weighabout twelve pounds, from the adult caribou aboutsixteen pounds. Sleeping bags m.ade in Norwayfrom skins of domesticated reindeer could be purchased,before the war, through the Army and Navystores in London for about £5. Alaska reindeerskins can be bought from trading firms in Seattle.In the old Book of Camping and Woodcraft Idiscoursed as follows re sleeping bags:It is snug, for a while, to be laced up in a bag, but notso snug when you roll over and find that some apertureat the top is letting a stream of cold air run down yourspine, and that your weight and cooped-upness prevent youfrom readjusting the bag to your comfort. Likewise asleeping bag may be an unpleasant trap to be in when asquall springs up suddenly at night, or the tent catchesfire.I think that one is more likely to catch cold when emergingfrom a stuffy sleeping bag into the cold air than if hehad slept between loose blankets. A waterproof coverwithout any opening except where your nose sticks out isno more wholesome to sleep in than a rubber boot iswholesome for one's foot. Nor is such a cover of muchpractical advantage, except underneath. The notion thatit is any substitute for a roof overhead, on a rainy night,is a delusion.Blankets can be wrapped around one more snugly, theydo not condense moisture inside, and they can be thrownopen instantly in case of alarm. In blankets you can sleepdouble in cold weather. Taking it all in all, I choose theseparate bed tick, pillow bag, poncho, and blanket, ratherthan the same bulk and weight of any kind of sleeping